12 October 30, 2012 FCW.COM
Commentary | ANNE REED is founder of Anne Reed Consulting and former CIO at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. DAN GORDON is associate dean
for government procurement law studies at George Washington University Law School and former administrator of the Of ce of Federal
Procurement Policy. AL BURMAN is chairman of the Procurement Round Table, president of Jefferson Solutions and former administrator of OFPP.
Acquisition workforce under siege
Agencies have made progress in hiring talented acquisition professionals, but
unreasonable scrutiny from all sides is encouraging risk avoidance and sti ing innovation
What is the current status of the
federal acquisition workforce?
Have the actions taken over the
past four years helped to address
the pressures caused by insuf cient
personnel and an increased
workload? What are the current
stress points?
To explore these and other
questions, the Procurement Round
Table, a nonpro t organization of
former senior leaders in federal
acquisition, recently convened an
informal discussion with a number
of current executives from multiple
federal agencies. This is the rst
in a series of columns in which we
summarize some of the key points
from that discussion.
The conversation was spirited,
and there were some rays of hope,
particularly the hiring of additional
contracting specialists. One
participant welcomed the increase
in the acquisition workforce. And it s
not just numbers. Another executive
said, "The government has hired
more super competent people as
interns in the last three years than it
has in the prior 20 years."
Still, much of the news was
disheartening. Many participants
said the current challenges are
not related to workload, which
suggests that recent efforts to
increase the workforce are making
a positive difference. Rather, the
biggest concern was the toxic work
environment and the fear that it will
drive talented new employees away.
One executive talked about how
poorly interns are supervised, saying
they complain that they "are not
allowed to use their brains, to use
what they have been taught."
But the problems go far beyond
internships. Seasoned professionals
feel as though they are under
siege. As one participant put it,
"Acquisition people cannot make
decisions and are frustrated at
having to send their work through
so many layers of review. Warranted
contracting of cers cannot get the
simplest tasks done and are not
allowed to make simple decisions."
According to participants,
oversight bodies are contributing
to the poisoned work environment.
One person said the Government
Accountability Of ce and inspector
general "have been very aggressive.
TheGAOandtheIGgototheHillif
agencies do not follow them exactly.
It is a very confrontational time right
now." Another said, "In its reports,
the [Defense Department] IG makes
comments like We need to hold the
contracting of cer accountable.
These contracting of cers are
getting named and sometimes
have to come in and testify. Rarely
has contracting been held to this
standard, held accountable in
ways that it should not be." It was
discouraging to hear the lesson one
person drew from the experience:
"Nothing happens to you if you do
nothing."
We are succeeding in recruiting
and training talented people
to tackle complex acquisition
challenges, but we are then putting
them in an environment that drives
them toward risk avoidance and
a focus on mere compliance.
One senior of cial said, "We tell
contracting of cers to use their
brains, but also that if they make a
mistake, they are toast." Another
participant expressed the view
that "it used to be a different
environment, one [that cut down on]
regulation. Now the environment is
risk-averse, and everyone is afraid of
being reported to the IG."
Creating a stimulating and
rewarding work environment for
talented professionals is the key
to strengthening the government s
acquisition practices and ensuring
that it achieves the outcomes
desired for a reasonable cost. After
our discussion, we believe we need
to raise awareness about the need
to nd a better balance between
oversight --- as important and
necessary as it is --- and promoting
the freedom to use good judgment.
That exibility is essential for
professionals to thrive and nd
creative solutions to complex
challenges. ■
Warranted contracting
officers cannot get the
simplest tasks done
and are not allowed to
make simple decisions.
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